East Lancashire Railway

“I myself have the profoundly grateful pleasure in visiting the award winning east lancashire railway 'in-person' especially to the brilliantly imposing bury 'bolton street' rly station - the very hub of greater manchester's (and lancashire's) premier heritage railway that dates back 1846, Also enjoyably rode along the terrific 12 miles of pleasantly restored ex-cross country train track between heywood and rawtenstall - via bury, burrs country park... summerseat, across brooksbottom, onto ramsbottom, pass stubbins and Irwell vale along the course of two rivers roch and irwell in-between, My most favourite stations along the ELR... are bury bolton street, ramsbottom, and rawtenstall, including irwell vale, I in-fact like/love all the stations, especially the halt at burrs country park out there too, As with most heritage railways across our beloved united kingdom, the ELR is successfully well-run/properly well-operated by a fine bunch of volunteers, staff, and other helpfully assisting people who do a great job in running this lancastrian heritage railway that reaches it's 180th anniversary in 2026 by the way. I even recommend the east lancashire railway, for the surrounding scenery, the stations, the destinations, the trains of whom hauled by both steam & heritage diesel traction - all full of character & uplifting nostalgia to behold. My very first visit to the ELR was back in october 2005, followed by another visit of whom a revisit to heywood in 2006, a full revisit to the ELR in october 2011, with my last visit (hopefully NOT the last) being october 2023 during the spectacular autumn steam gala out there.... I hope to revisit the ELR 'in-person' one day.”

“Just been on the festive Christmas Dinner train experience… it went above and beyond expectations 🎄🚂 This was a birthday present for my mum and my partner, arrived at the station early and that ended up being part of the fun. We tried the buttered bread beer beforehand bit more beer tasting, wandered around, got up close to the engine room making the wait exciting rather than boring 🍺 Boarding was quick, easy and really well organised, with starters already prepared. From the moment we sat down, the staff were absolutely brilliant. The service was friendly, relaxed and attentive, and the food was exceptional. I have dietary requirements, which were handled perfectly. I had the turkey (instead of steak) which was delicious, and they even brought me extra vegetables as they had some left. Every course was spot on and you genuinely couldn’t fault the food at all. The mince pie cheesecake at the end 😍 absolutely topped it all off. The train itself was warm and comfortable, the service was quick without ever feeling rushed, and everything ran so smoothly from start to finish. We felt really well looked after the whole time. The only small gripe was during the booking process, as there wasn’t much clarity around seating choice, but honestly this was minor compared to how brilliant the actual experience was. And also we arrived back at the station fairly late in comparison to what the tickets had said so everyone was rushing to get off as they were done with the experience. I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for something festive, fun and genuinely special. We loved every minute and would 100% do it again✨”

“Used to be my local heritage railway we used to spend nearly every weekend here for a trip along the line it is great for a day out as plenty of things to see and do along the line from Heywood to Rawtenstall especially the special events there is something for everyone highly reccomended for a full day out and return as you won't get to see and do everything in one day.”

“Visited on the 200 years weekend which was very busy but easy to get on various trains though out the day, except the vintage cream tea train as it only had two carriages. Some lovely interaction with the actors on the train and friendly volunteers all day. Good long ride with interesting towns to visit along the way.”